Exactly, we still have plenty of flexibility. Just trading good players in the name of "blowing it up" makes no sense.
What you described in bold is also considered 'blowing up' a team. You can "blow up" a team anytime you want; age of the roster has nothing to do with. Blowing up a team implies trading away the main pieces of that team and re-shaping the roster. I don't think anyone is wanting us to hand Scola away; he doesn't have a toxic contract. But the reality of the situation is we aren't contenders. We aren't close to being one. I've been screaming that since the start of the year, but it's just starting to dawn for some people. If we traded for a healthy Varejao tomorrow just giving up Yao, we still wouldn't be contenders. We're multuple pieces away, not one. We have two young PFs on rookie contracts, both who need time to develop. We have one of the best big man defenders in the NBA, also at PF. Scola gives us great production at the PF spot, but we can afford to replace him (Chuck/Hill/Patterson). He's entering his 30s with 3+ possible more years left on his contract (4th year not guaranteed). Is he a burden on our cap? No. Would we gain more flexibility by moving him? Yes. Trading Scola would do him a favor by (presumably) trading him to a team in the playoffs, while also opening up playing time for some of our youngest assets to develop. Obviously, you don't trade him just to trade him -- but if you can get a young piece (Potential with a capital P) for him + draft pick, I think you think hard about pulling the trigger.
There is going to be a lot of whining around here if Scola, Martin, Brooks, Hayes, Lee, etc get traded away and we get back "potential" players that don't pan out and the team keeps losing. A bird in the hand...
Plow it up, man. Trade Budinger, Brooks, Miller, Hill, Jefferies. Maybe trade Lee, Martin, Williams. Keep Lowry, Battier, Hayes, Scola, Patterson, Ish.
I expect Morey to do what he always does: Improve the team incrementally through smart trades and draft picks. I seriously doubt he's going to start trading away everybody for mid- to late-first round draft picks and gamble that a few will pan out bigtime. That has never been his style.
You think he is worth not much now? Then after he stops giving you 20 poins a night and starts to decline he will will really be worthless. This is about as good a time as it gets if Morey is ever gonna do anything with Battier, Scola, or Brooks. After this? He really has screwed the pooch after this if it doesnt happen this year.
Keep Martin, Lowry, Patterson, and Twill Trade AB, Bud, Battier, Jeffries, Miller, Lee, Hill, and Scola
We have scola, martin, miller and lowry all will be eating up a lot of the cap space for the next 2-3 years which will make it hard to to sign max players if availabe in free-agency. The problem is not that their old but but they've reached their peak as players, a peak that's not good enough to compete for a title.
Martin's got one more season until he hits 30 statistically death's door for wing players. 07/08 was the last time his shooting was as good as his rep. I'm beginning to think Martin needs to go along with Brooks.
Martin's game isn't based off of athletiscism. He reminds me of Reggie Miller who played until he was 39.
Except that those teams big men play amazing Defense. Scola is a one dimensional player, whos one dimension is the softest as they come. He doesnt carry a team on his back with his scoring.
Blow it up? If we want to tank, then we should keep Scola and Martin all at the same time, we should get rid of our best defenders Hayes and Battier for picks since they have less value compared to Scola and Martin and probably will not net us an all-star should one become available. Why sell Scola and Martin low, when we right now can sell Hayes and Battier kind of high?
